Study: Park is poor and aging

NEWCOMB - The Adirondack Park is demographically old and poor and the trend is likely to continue - these are the findings of an ongoing sociological study being conducted by the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages and the Adirondack North Country Association.

"What really jumped out at me was that young people are leaving the area in record numbers," AATV President and Wells Supervisor Brian Towers said April 8. "Our communities are getting smaller and people of child rearing age have left seeking more opportunity."

The Regional Assessment Project - which is expected to be released in its entirety over the next two weeks - concluded that waves of Adirondack youth are leaving the area at staggering rates and are being replaced by retirees who found success elsewhere, Towers said.

The findings state that the average age of an Adirondack resident is 43 years, while the national average is 35.

This figure is more similar to the retirement communities of Coastal Florida, the study reports.

Data also indicates the total number of public school students has dropped 31 percent since 1970, while the number of teachers has risen over 40 percent.

"We have to commit to bringing young people here," Hamilton County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Farber said. "We have to advocate for better jobs and increased technological innovation as a united front."

Farber said that without viable economic and technical development, the brain-drain will only continue.

"Kids go off to college and get used to cell service and broadband," Farber said. "Many are not willing to return to a place where these services are not available."

Further, data suggests the tourist driven nature of the park has lead to a huge lack of affordable housing, coupled with median household income figures of $43,000 annually - nearly $8,000 below the national median - Adirondack residents are unable to compete with non-residents buying second homes.